Sunday morning rail news:
— Raymond P. Kenny, 69, NJ Transit’s senior vice president and general manager of rail operations, has died of complications from the COVID-19 virus, NJ Transit announced Saturday. NJ.com reports that Kenny, who came to NJ Transit in January 2019 after 50 years at the Long Island Rail Road, was praised by management and labor alike for his contributions. “The leadership and incredible wealth of railroad knowledge Ray brought with him has truly made a positive impact on our organization,” said NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett. “On behalf of everyone at NJ Transit, our thoughts and prayers are with Ray’s family and friends at this difficult time.” Jerome Johnson, general chairman of UTU Local 60, said Kenny “brought honestly and integrity to NJ Transit. He was exemplary for his supervision and, to our members, he made you feel like he cared.”
— Four members of New York’s city council are asking Gov. Andrew Cuomo to shut down the New York City subway system to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The New York Post reports that council members Robert Holden, Eric Ulrich, Mark Gonaj, and Peter Koo wrote Cuomo saying that the subways are contributing to the spread of the virus because cars remain crowded because of reduced service, and because of homeless people staying in the subway cars, and that “as a result, MTA workers are dying at a faster rate than any other front-line workers.” As of Saturday, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokeswoman said the virus has killed 68 MTA employees; 2,496 have tested positive for the virus and another 4,365 are in quarantine.
